Tag: character

Last night, I was doing homework and flipping channels and decided to stop. I am sort of familiar with the girls in the top five so I figured I would see who was voted off. I am so happy I tuned in. Last night Fantasia sang a song that showed me with passion and artistry is all about. Is you have not seen it, please watch this performance of Fantasia “Lose to Win” on American Idol Thursday night:

Wow. I hit rewind several times just to take in the words to the song and note how she conveyed the emotion behind each and every one. In that moment it hit me – this is what we do as writers – convey passion.

Whenever I read something, I am looking to be moved. I want to laugh, I want to cry – I want to feel SOMETHING. I believe that was the greatest lesson I learned from writing when I first started as a journalist – that my words had power. People would stop me while I was on assignment or when I was in stores to tell me that my pieces encouraged them, enraged them, or gave them hope. There was power in my words. There was power in what I had written.

The best thing that we can do for our stories and for our characters is to let our passion bleed through. Let the readers feel what we feel. Move them. Your stories will be better for it.